Day 1 (D)
Arrival in Hanoi
Arrival in
Hanoi and transfer to your hotel. This evening, attend a water-puppet
theatre performance. The art of water puppetry began a thousand years
ago, possibly in the flooded rice fields of Vietnam. Puppeteers today
stand in waist-high water and manipulate their charges in such a way
that you can’t help but be swept up in the legend being told. Welcome
dinner tonight is at the Wild Rice restaurant.
Day 2 (B,L)
Hanoi City Tour
We start
today earlier at 08h00 and drive towards the west part of the city to visit
the Ethnology museum. This museum will give you an insight about 54
ethnic minority in Vietnam.
We then
drive to Lang pagoda. This hidden pagoda is one of the oldest in town.
On the
return to the city center, we will stop by Brother café to enjoy a
traditional Vietnamese buffet in the charming setting of an old temple.
We will
then visit Ho Chi Minh complex but won't go inside the mausoleum
as it is only open in the morning. We will continue to the nearby
one thousand year Temple of Literature.
We then
head to the bustling Hanoi Old quarter for a short walking tour of the
vibrant streets and markets and then enjoy some Vietnamese coffee.
Day 3 (B,
L, D) Hanoi- Halong Bay
8.30am -
Depart Ha Noi for a 3.5 hour drive to Ha Long City through the Red River
Delta with a break stop on the way. We arrive at Halong City at about
12h00 and you will then check in your Chinese junk and enjoy a welcome
cocktail. We will start cruising at 12h15 while you check in your cabin.
Lunch with traditional Vietnamese seafood while cruising to magnificent
Halong Bay. Passing Indochina film studio, teapot islet, blockhouse
islet… we will admire Cong Do tranquility and different formations of
the limestone. Kayaking in Ha Long Bay is the perfect way to explore the
calm emerald waters. We will kayak and swim around Cong Dong area then back to the junk.
Day 4 (B,
L) Ha Long Bay – Hanoi – Hue
Enjoy a
sunrise in Ha Long Bay before
a 1 hour visit to the famous "Amazing"
cave. Brunch will be served on board as you
cruise back to Halong city. Check out is after 10:30 before docking
around noon and leaving for Noi Bai airport to board a flight to Hue.
Upon arrival, you’ll be met and driven to a hotel in the city centre for
your overnight accommodation.
Day 5 (B,
L) Hue Hotel in Hue
This
morning, board a boat for a trip on the Perfume River to return to Thien
Mu Pagoda, one of the most famous of all Vietnamese landmarks.
Nestled in
the lush valley of the river stand seven tombs built for seven Nguyen
emperors. Each is an expression of the unique personality of each
emperor. We will visit two
tombs of Tu Duc and Minh Mang before having lunch at a local restaurant
of Biet Phu Thao Nhi.
This
afternoon, we visit Kinh Thanh citadel. We also visit the Forbidden
Purple City, originally built in the early 1800s for the personal use of
the emperor and staffed by eunuchs who posed no threat to the
royal concubines.
Day 6 (B,
L) Hue – Hoi An – My
Son
In the
morning, your car will drive you to Danang. On the way, you'll cross the
Hai Van mountain pass. Upon arriving in Danang and a
brief look at the remarkable Hindu statuary in the Cham Museum. We will
then drive to Hoi An.
After
lunch, you’ll be driven to the World Heritage ‘My Son Sanctuary’. Your
guide will show you the remains of the remarkable towers constructed by
the Cham builders, many centuries ago - their origins and purpose have
yet to be fully explained. Back to Hoi An for overnight accommodation.
Day 7
(B, L) Hoi An
In the
morning, you’ll be picked up at your hotel to travel to the local market
to purchase ingredients. You’ll then be greeted by a local restaurateur
who will teach you how to cook some of Hoi An’s traditional cuisine.
We spend the afternoon for a walking tour around this enchanting port
town.
Day 8
(B) Hoi An free day
Free day at
leisure to enjoy the beach town or explore the town of Hoi An.
Day 9
(B) Hoi An – Saigon
Early
breakfast and check out to transfer to Danang airport to take a morning
flight from Danang to Saigon. Upon arrival, meet your guide and transfer
to your hotel in Saigon central.
This
afternoon, we will explore Ho Chi Minh City once known as Saigon. This
city is booming with new economic opportunities, new construction, new
technology, and newly arrived Western influences.
Get your
bearings as we view the colonial General Post Office (1886), City Hall
(now the HQ of the People’s Committee), and Notre Dame Cathedral (closed
by the Communist regime after the 1975 takeover, but now flourishing
again). We then visit the Reunification
Palace, and then the War Remnants Museum
Day 10 (B,
L) Ho Chi Minh city – Cu Chi
tunnels
After
breakfast drive to the town of Tay Ninh headquarters of the religion Caodism, an eclectic fusion of Eastern and Western religious
philosophies. We see the noon mass at the temple (appox.1 hour).
In the
afternoon, your guide will take you to visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels,
a maze of underground passages, chambers, rooms and booby traps used by
both the Vietminh and the Viet Cong
Day 11 (B,
L) Ho Chi Minh city – Mekong
delta
In the
morning, pick up at your hotel and drive south to Cai Be where we will
enjoy a cruise.
The
tour will begin with the visit of Cai Be colorful floating market,
cruising among local barges full of fruits and vegetables. Cruising
further, your sampan will bring you to see some local home factories to
discover traditional rice paste making, rice pop corn, coco candies, and longans drying process.
A delicious
lunch will await you at a superb Indochinese villa, Le Longanier,
located in a luxuriant garden by the river…
After
lunch, your sampan will proceed the cruise to Dong Hoa Hiep.
We will
proceed to Vinh Long, passing beautiful landscapes along Dong Phu canal,
Binh Hoa Phuoc and An Binh islands famous for their fruit orchards.
Stops on the way can be made at An Binh ancient Church or at Tam Ho
bonsais garden. After crossing the Co Chien River, the excursion will
end at Vinh Long pier around 4pm, where your own private transportation
vehicle will await you to drive to your Hotel
Day 12 (B,L):
Can Tho -
Saigon
Breakfast
at the hotel is followed by an early boat trip to the bustling wholesale
Cai Rang & Phong Dien floating markets where the farmers exchange their
products. A walk on a peaceful country road provides magnificent
sceneries of local houses, orchard gardens and fields. We will have lunch at a local restaurant before driving back to HCMC at 5.30pm.
Day 13 (B):
Saigon
Departure
After
breakfast, you’ll be free until your driver arrives to take you to Tan
Son Nhat airport for your departure flight.
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